Post sizing and peeling machine



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 www v N LQ @A A wwi w. N. RlDDlcK POST SIZING AND FEELING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1954 Feb. 25, 1936.

hh, MN KN Nw [VIII A I- \m\ i v \W\ E E n Feb. 25, i936. wl N. RIDDlcK 2,031,903

POST SIZING AND FEELING MACHINE Filed May 3l, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 "W v Inventur Feb 25, 1936- w. N. RlDDlcK POST SIZING AND FEELING' MACHINE Filed May 51, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Atomey Patented Feb. 25, 1936 N'EE TTES PATENT FFIQE POST SIZING AND FEELING MACHINE William Neal Riddick, De Ridder, La.

Application May 31, 1934, Serial No. 728,420

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a post sizing and peeling machine, the general object of the invention being to provide means whereby a log can be readily peeled and reduced in diameter to provide a post which may be used as a fence post, highway post or the like.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of the yokes for supporting a roller.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a View looking into the plunger head.

Figure 8 is a View looking into the cutter head. Figure 9 is a section on line 9 9 of Figure 7. Figure 10 is a section on line Ill--III of Figllle 8.

In these drawings, the numeral I indicates a base and the numeral 2 indicates a cylinder horizontally arranged and rotatably supported by the uprights 3 through means of the ball bearings 4. A bell-shaped cutter head 5 has its small end threaded in the front end of the cylinder, as shown in Figure l0, and said head is provided with the curved inwardly extending knives 6 which are preferably arranged as shown in Figures 8 and 10, the inner ends of the knives merging into the cylindrical, rear or inner end of the head which is flush with the internal walls of the cylinder 2. This cylinder, with the cutting head, is rotated from any suitable source of power by a belt 1 or the like.

A pair of vertically arranged feed rolls 8 of double frusto-conical shape, is each supported by a yoke 9 having a stem I0 which has a sliding t in a socket II on an upright I2.

Upper and lower springs I3 press the roller shafts.

These rollers are of spool shape,

as shown more particularly in Figure 6, and are driven from a suitable source of power by belts passing over the pulleys Il on the lower ends of the shafts.

A pair of brackets I8 extend upwardly from 5 the base in front of the rolls 8 and that bracket which is closest to the rolls is formed with a forked head I9 for supporting a log A and the other bracket is also provided with a forked head I9 for supporting a part of the log and said 10 racket has an opening therein through which slides a rod which is fastened to a forked member EI which supports the rear end of the log. A substantially frusto-conical plunger head 22 is connected to the forked member 2| by a 15 bracket 23 and the head is connected with a plunger 24 slidably supported by the uprights 25 and which has a rack 26 thereon engaged by a pinion 2'! supported by one of the uprights 25 and driven by any suitable means attached to the 20 shaft 28 of the pinion. A spring 29 has o-ne end connected with one of the uprights and the other end to the plunger and tends to hold the plunger with its head 22 in retracted position, but when the shaft 23 is turned, the plunger25 and its head are moved forwardly so as to push the log A through the rolls 3 and then through the cutting head 5, which peels the log and reduces its diameter and makes the log of a uniform diameter throughout, after which the end 30 of the log is gripped by the rolls I4, which pull it through the cylinder.

As shown in Figures '7 and 9, the plunger head 22 has located therein a substantially conical member 30 provided with the longitudinally eX- 35 tending teeth 3| which gradually increase in length inwardly, as shown in Figure 9, and this conical member is supported in the head by the springs 32 which contact the side parts of the head and the member 3Q and the inner end 40 of the head is formed with a socket 33 for receiving the spherical part 34 attached to the inner end of the member 30. Thus the member 3Q can automatically adjust itself to different diameters of logs so that the plunger will push the log into the feeding rolls 8 and these rolls will automatically adjust themselves to different sizes of logs. The cutting head 5 is removable and by providing a plurality of heads of different sizes, logs of different diameters can be cut to provide the posts. A counter-balance ring 35 is attached to the rear end of the cylinder 2.

When the plunger assembly is moved forwardly, the rear end of the log is engaged by the member 3I in the head 22 and thus the log is 55 vzes pushed forwardly so that its front end will engage the rollers 8. The double conical form of these rollers 8 and the specic form of the front end of the plunger assembly will lift the log off the supporting members I8 and automatically center the log both horizontally and vertically with respect to the bell 5 and thus the log will be fed into the bell at the center thereof.

Instead of using the plunger, I may provide an endless chain for feeding the log into the feeding rolls 8.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided simple means for peeling and reducing logs to a uniform diameter to form posts that are perfectly round. This invention Will produce a saving in freight to the consumer by removing surplus wood from the posts and a saving in preservatives which are used in treating the posts to preserve the same. The invention also eliminates guesswork in calculating the cubical content for treatment Withapreservative and allows for standardization of sizes and grades. 'It also allows :for better `utilization of timber by using more of the tree and better control of inventories.

`While the drawings show the rolls 8 and lll as vertically arranged, it is to be understood that they may be horizontally arranged and that the rolls' I4 can be driven inV any suitable manner. Both sets of these rolls are removable from their supporting means so that different sizes of rolls can be used in accordance With the size of the Work piece. The cuttingA means will out different sizes of work pieces, but I prefer to provide a plurality of the rolls, as the rolls can be changed much more easily than can the cutting device.

The rolls I 4 are preferably changed each time the cutting head is changed so that a better grip can be had on the finished work by said rolls I4.

vIt is thought from theforegoing description that theadvantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

l. A device of the class described comprisingy a base, uprights carried by the base, a cylinder horizontally arranged and rotatably supported by some of the uprights, means for rotating the cylinder, a bell-shaped cutting head detachably connected to the front end of the cylinder and having cutting members therein, a pair of feed rollers supported from the base in front of the cutting head, spring means tending to move the rollers toward each other, a pair of pulling rollers supported from the base for receiving the log from the cylinder, means foi` forcing a log between the feeding rollers and into the cutting head, such means comprising supporting means yfor the log, a plunger having a head for engaging the rear end of the log, means for reciprocating the plunger, said plunger having a conical member movably supported in its head, and spring L ymeans for .holdingsaid conical member in a central position, and teeth carriedby the internal Walls of said conical member.

2. In a device of the class described, a plunger having a head, a conical member movably supported in the head, spring means for lholding said conical member ina central position inthe head and teeth carried by the internalwalls of saidconical member.

3. A log sizing machine comprising a horizontal cylinder vrotatablysupported,'means for rotating the cylinder, a loell-sh'apedcutting head `connected tothe front-end of the cylinder'and having cutting members therein, a'pair vof `vertically arranged feed rollers each of .double frusto- WILLIAM NEAL RIDDICK. 

